Summary of Steve Snyder's SHOT DOWN

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 Howard's father suffered a nervous breakdown in 1928, and the family moved to Southern California. Howard attended Glendale High School, and he was a star player on the basketball team. He met his future wife, Ruth Hempel, while attending Walther League, the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod's youth Bible and social organization. #2 During the 1930s, the United States wanted to avoid foreign entanglements and favored a policy of noninvolvement in European affairs. Americans envisioned a repeat of World War I and desired to stay out of the never-ending quarrels between European nations. #3 In the fall of 1940, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt began to prepare the United States for war by drafting all men between the ages of 21 and 35. Howard Snyder registered on October 16, 1940, and was inducted into the Army on April 1, 1941. #4 The attack on Pearl Harbor shocked America, and the country quickly united against Japan. The lives of Howard and Ruth Snyder were changed forever. Not only would the young couple's lives be dramatically changed by the war, but also by Ruth becoming pregnant during her visit with Howard at Fort Lewis that 1941 Christmas.